On Wednesday, July 7, the U.S. Department of Education (Department) announced the approval of Texas’ American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) plans and distributed remaining ARP ESSER funds to them. Texas’ plan details how the state is using and plan to use ARP ESSER funds to safely reopen and sustain the safe operation of schools and equitably expand opportunity for students who need it most, particularly those most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Earlier this year, the Department distributed two thirds of the ARP ESSER funds, totaling $81 billion, to 50 states and the District of Columbia. The remaining third of the funding to states will be made available once state plans are approved. Texas is receiving more than $12.4 billion total in ARP ESSER funds, and today’s approval of their plan will result in the release of the final $4.1 billion. Additionally, the Department approved plans for South Dakota, Massachusetts, Utah, Arkansas, Rhode Island, and the District of Columbia.

 

“I am excited to announce approval for Texas’ plan,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “It is heartening to see, reflected in these state plans, the ways in which states are thinking deeply about how to use American Rescue Plan funds to continue to provide critical support to schools and communities, particularly as we move into the summer and look ahead to the upcoming academic year. The approval of these plans enables states to receive vital, additional American Rescue Plan funds to quickly and safely reopen schools for full-time, in-person learning; meet students’ academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs; and address disparities in access to educational opportunity that were exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. The state plans that have been submitted to the Department lay the groundwork for the ways in which an unprecedented infusion of federal resources will be used to address the urgent needs of America’s children and build back better.”

 

“This funding from the American Rescue Plan is critical to help students and teachers in San Antonio, and also address educational disparities that were exacerbated by COVID,” said Congressman Joaquin Castro. “I hope the Texas government swiftly gets this federal money to local school districts so we can pay teachers, have summer school, and prepare for a safe and successful upcoming school year back in-person. I appreciate the Biden administration and Secretary Cardona’s focus on supporting schools and communities in Texas to not only fully recover from this pandemic, but actually start to transform our public education system.”

 

“Through our plan, we are addressing lost instructional time resulting from COVID-related disruptions,” said Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath said. “With all Texas schools required to offer in-person instruction to all students, schoolchildren across Texas will have access to specialized tutoring, high-quality instructional materials, and job-embedded professional learning to strategically address the academic impact of the pandemic. These funds will support our state’s comprehensive roadmap to learning recovery.”

 

The ARP ESSER state plans approved by the Department today, including Texas, show how states are using Federal pandemic resources to support safe in-person instruction and meet the social, emotional, mental health, and academic needs of students—with a focus on the students most impacted by the pandemic. For example:

 

  • Returning to In Person Learning in 2021 Safely Reopening Schools and Sustaining Safe Operations: In the upcoming school year, Texas schools will be required to offer in-person instruction to all students. All local educational agencies (LEAs) will have access to screening testing, which can be funded by the American Rescue Plan. LEAs may also choose to offer COVID-19 vaccinations to eligible students and educators as a vaccine provider and in partnership with local health providers.

 

  • Investing in Summer Learning and Addressing the Academic Impact of Lost Instructional Time: TEA plans to use American Rescue Plan funds to invest in summer learning programs for Texas students and will use design-thinking based processes to extend the school day and year. Texas also plans to offer high-dosage tutoring, high-quality instructional materials, and job-embedded professional learning to help address the academic impact of lost instructional time on K-12 students in the state this summer and next school year. TEA will create a diagnostic application process for LEAs to identify which evidence-based interventions are the right fit for its schools.

 

  • Expanding Afterschool Programs: TEA plans to use American Rescue Plan funds to provide evidence-based comprehensive afterschool programs to Texas students. These afterschool programs will be developed in partnership between LEAs and community organizations and will involve high-dosage tutoring and job-embedded professional learning. TEA will also encourage campuses to engage local stakeholders and make formal partnerships with providers of high-quality out-of-school time programs to expand the reach of afterschool programs for more students with the support of the American Rescue Plan funds.

 

A Fact Sheet on Texas’ plan is attached.

 

A total of 40 states have submitted their ARP ESSER state plans to the Department. The Department is reviewing the plans expeditiously and is in contact with states to ensure their plans meet all necessary requirements in order to access the remaining funds, as outlined in the ARP. The Department is also in contact with states that have not yet submitted plans, the vast majority of which are due to state board of education or legislative review requirements.

The distribution of ARP ESSER funds is part of the Department’s broader effort to support students and districts as they work to reengage students impacted by the pandemic, address inequities exacerbated by COVID-19, and build our education system back better than before. In addition to providing $130 billion for K-12 education in the American Rescue Plan to support the safe reopening of K-12 schools and meet the needs of all students, the Biden-Harris Administration also has:

  • Released three volumes of the COVID-19 Handbook.
  • Held a National Safe School Reopening Summit.
  • Prioritized the vaccination of educators, school staff and child care workers. As of the end of May an estimated 84% of teachers and school staff were fully vaccinated.
  • Provided $10 billion in funding for COVID-19 testing for PreK-12 educators, staff, and students.
  • Launched a series of Equity Summits focused on addressing inequities that existed before, but were made worse by the pandemic.
  • Released a report on the disparate impacts of COVID-19 on underserved communities.
  • Developed a Safer Schools and Campuses Best Practices Clearinghouse elevating hundreds of best practices to support schools’ efforts to reopen safely and address the impacts of COVID-19 on students, educators, and communities.

 

In addition to the actions the Biden Administration has taken to reopen schools, the President has proposed critical investments through his Build Back Better Agenda that will enable schools to rebuild stronger than they were before the pandemic, such as investing billions to build a diverse educator workforce, expand access to pre-K to all families, and invest in school infrastructure, among other provisions.